By Abdallah el-Kurebe with Agency reports European and African scientists in a new research, have warned of imminent risks posed by the increasing air pollution that could have negative impact on human health, meteorology and regional climate in West African cities. A report published by the Nature Climate Change states that the “rapidly expanding cities such as Lagos in Nigeria, Accra in Ghana and Abidjan in Ivory Coast were producing large amounts of harmful aerosols and gaseous pollutants.” According to the scientists led by Professor Peter Knippertz of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, in an EU-funded research project, “Human health,…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
Smart Villages: New Thinking for Off-grid Communities Worldwide – A Synopsis By Abdallah el-Kurebe “Smart Villages: New Thinking for off-grid communities worldwide” is a collection of opinion pieces in renewable energy. It is a chronicle of ideas by experts aimed at tackling the issues of energy as a catalyst for sustainable development – health, food security, education gender equality, governance, security and employment. The 124-page book, which is comprised of 16 essays written by scientists and leading thinkers from around the world was compiled by Prof. Sir Brian Heap, Senior Adviser to Smart Villages and launched at the World Conference…
By Abdallah el-Kurebe Ibrahim Abdullahi Gobir, the Senator representing Sokoto East senatorial zone has called on Nigerian Federal government to optimise use of the existing mini dams across the country in order to heighten the electricity access of all Nigerians. The senator, who is also a chartered electrical engineer, told Newsdiaryonline in an exclusive interview that off-grid energy was an area that was worth looking into. According to him, “I believe that off-grid energy is an area we should be looking at with great zeal. For me, this is what Buhari administration should start with. Everywhere that we have these…
CSE endorses Act which says local communities should share benefit from RE Decentralised distributed generation is part of the Act A few areas need clarity and further definition NEW DELHI, July 16: Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has welcomed the draft National Renewable Energy Act and has made a few suggestions which it will share with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). “The draft Act emphasizes that RE should be mainstreamed by offering financial incentives and infrastructural support to manufacturers and developers so as to bring RE on the same level playing field as fossil fuels,”…
The African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) has today released a new report titled, GM and seed industry eye Africa’s lucrative cowpea seed markets: The political economy of cowpea in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Malawi. The report shows a strong interest by the seed industry in commercialising cowpea seed production and distribution in West Africa, where a very lucrative regional cowpea seed market is emerging. Cowpea, one of the most ancient crops known to humankind, with its centre of origin in Southern Africa, provides the earliest food for millions of Africans during the ‘hungry season’ before cereals mature. The report…
By Abdallah el-Kurebe A new variety of Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT) Cotton, which underwent trial in northern Ghana has proved successive, Dr. Emmanuel Chamba, a scientist at the Yam and Cotton Breeding Programme of the Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI), has confirmed. The trial of the Bt cotton, which was carried out in the three northern regions of the country was done by growing a non-Bt cotton along side the Bt cotton. “What we did was that we had a quarter hectare Bt cotton and a quarter hectare non-Bt cotton lying side by side. We did that in six…
By Abdallah el-Kurebe Sokoto State Government has expressed her preparedness to partner with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for developing the state. Speaking when he received the USAID Mission Director, Michael Harvey at Government House, Sokoto on Wednesday, Governor Aminu Tambuwal said that the state government was ready to collaborate with the Agency in the areas of education, social development, business development, healthcare development, agriculture, etc. He emphasised that the state government was working for the removal of all legal impediments for accelerated healthcare development. Tambuwal specifically requested for USAID’s intervention in the areas of healthcare delivery,…
Chinese INDCs, although ambitious, will not keep global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius, says CSE China has announced its pledge to cut carbon emissions before the Paris climate meeting to be held at the end of this year. The INDCs are less ambitious compared to the pledges it had made in Cancun in 2010, but are more ambitious than the ones submitted by US and EU. It could have done more to reduce its emissions, says CSE. In 2030, China’s total GHG emissions would be 16-17 billion tonnes and its per capita emissions would be 12…
By Abdallah el-Kurebe An award-winning farmer in Burkina Faso, Dr. Traore François in a debate titled, ‘Controversy’, aired on National Radio and Television of Burkina Faso, joined in explaining the benefits of biotechnology for farmers in Burkina Faso. In the debate, which centered on the advantages and disadvantages of genetically modified (GM) crops, François said that he had been cultivating GM cotton since 2007, ten years before which he had been cotton seed producer. “More than ten years before I started cultivating GM cotton, I had been selected as cotton seed producer and as I started GMOs,…
By Abdallah el-Kurebe > “Energy is the Golden Thread that connects economic growth, social equity and environmental health.” – Ban Ki Moon, UN Secretary General > “…Energy is a prerequisite for sustainable rural development.” – UNESCO > “Energy touches everything…Our mantra going forward is very simple: converting commitments to kilowatt hours for real people.” – Kandeh Yumkella > “If the only future we can see for villages is to turn them into towns, it would be no future worth aspiring for, considering the shape our towns are already in.” – Prof. Krishna Kumar > “No single cause can be identified…